UK lobbied US to hide Boxing champion Voices of Young
role in CIA torture
to open Dubai gym British Muslims

‘Threat to UK
Exaggerated’

Issue: 78

£1

September 2014

Approved by

The level of threat from international
terrorism to Britain has been raised
from substantial to severe, Theresa
May, the home secretary, has
announced.
This means that an attack is
“highly likely”, though May said there
is no evidence to suggest an attack
is imminent.
She said the decision to raise
the official threat level is “related
to developments in Syria and Iraq,
where terrorist groups are planning
y
rtified b

attacks against the west”.
David Cameron and Nick Clegg
were in intensive negotiations to try
to agree a fresh round of measures
to tackle the threat posed by terror
suspects in Britain.
But a new report says no
empirical evidence to support notion
that UK nationals fighting in Syria are
threat on return.
The report - “Blowback – Foreign
fighters and the threat they pose” by
an UK-based campaign group claims

Ce
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that the British government has
greatly exaggerated the threat posed
to the country by foreign fighters
taking part in the Syrian civil war.
British government policy is
“confused and dangerous” and has
“created a climate of fear,” says
CAGE, which campaigns on behalf
of the victims of “The War on Terror.”
It accuses authorities of being
“inconsistent” in how they treat those
supporting rebels and foreign fighters
in Syria.
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2

I Editorial

thePassion

www.pi-media.co.uk I September 2014

By Staff

www.pi-media.co.uk
info@pi-media.co.uk

Shaker Aamer ‘beaten’
in Guantanamo
In Case You
Missed It

In evidence of a new crackdown on prisoners
protesting their detention without charge

British resident Shaker Aamer
has reportedly been beaten at
Guantánamo Bay, in evidence of
a new crackdown on prisoners
protesting their detention without
charge.
In new letters received by the
legal charity Reprieve, detainees
reveal what one calls a new
“standard procedure” of abuses at
the prison. Emad Hassan, a Yemeni
detained without charge since 2002,
wrote that “an FCE [Forcible Cell
Extraction] team has been brought
in to beat the detainees, Shaker ISN
239 was beaten when the medical
people wanted to draw blood.” Mr
Hassan adds that guards had beaten
another detainee for nearly two
hours.
‘Forcible Cell Extraction’ or
‘FCEing’ is the process by which a

detainee is forced out of his cell by a
group of armed guards, often before
being taken to the force-feeding
chair. Mr Aamer has previously
described being beaten by the FCE
team up to eight times a day.
Mr Aamer, who has been
cleared for release by both the
Bush and Obama administrations,
has been held for long periods of
solitary confinement since 2005
and is in extremely poor health. An
independent medical examination
conducted earlier this year
diagnosed him with severe posttraumatic stress, and recommended
urgent psychiatric treatment and
“reintegration into his family.”
In June, former Foreign Secretary
William Hague told Reprieve that
UK officials were confident Mr
Aamer had access to a “detainee

welfare package” and that his
health “remain[ed] stable.” In a
letter sent this week, Reprieve
director Clive Stafford Smith urged
Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond
to raise urgent questions with the
US Government about these latest
reports of mistreatment.
Cori Crider, Strategic Director at
Reprieve and a lawyer for Mr Aamer,
said: “Just weeks ago, the UK
Government dismissed our concerns
about Shaker Aamer’s wellbeing,
relying on US assurances about
a so-called Guantanamo ‘welfare
package.’ Now we hear that Shaker,
already a seriously ill man, has been
beaten. Phillip Hammond should
seek answers from the US without
delay about why, instead of simply
releasing Shaker, it prefers to detain
and abuse him.”

Views expressed in the Passion column are of the contributers and not necessarily of PI

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I September 2014

NEWS

I3

US intervention in Iraq
highlights failed foreign policy
In Case You
Missed It

Claims by the US that military
intervention is essential to protect
the fate of Iraq’s Christians and
Yazidis do not bear up to any
serious scrutiny and if anything the
minor relief air strikes have brought
for these oppressed communities
is simply a consequence, not an
intended outcome, of US policy.
The resort to military action also
highlights the abject failure of US
foreign policy in a country which
it invaded and occupied in order
to topple Saddam Hussein and
install a compliant regime. Instead
of helping to solve Iraq’s problems
US policy has been instrumental

in exacerbating divisions and
sectarianism in Iraq.
IHRC believes that if Washington
is genuine about helping ethnic and
religious minorities it would have
intervened long ago against ISIS
in Syria where the group has taken
advantage of the uprising against
President Assad to grow strong.
However Washington has
stubbornly resisted calls to target
ISIS in Syria and also to arm the
more moderate rebels fighting to
topple Assad who could be expected
to provide an effective counterweight
to ISIS extremists.
Earlier this year When ISIS
pushed in from Syria to take over
huge swathes of Iraq the US
government decided not to intervene
despite the fact that the integrity of
the nation and the future of many
ethnic/religious groups were under
threat.
In Syria the US has failed to
support in any meaningful way
the country’s religious minorities

and ethnic Kurds who have found
themselves targeted by ISIS.
It is telling that US chose to
intervene militarily only after ISIS had
attacked and overrun several Kurdish
positions in the north of Iraq. Iraq’s
Kurds are staunch US allies in Iraq
and any threat to their autonomous
region, formed with Washington’s
blessing after the ousting of
Saddam Hussein, is a direct threat
to US attempts to maintain regional
hegemony.
US policy aganst ISIS, it seems,
is only to treat it as a threat when
it jeopardises US interests but to
tolerate it insofar as it serves US
purposes by weakening US enemies
such as Assad’s Syria and Iran.
IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh
said: “The experience of US military
intervention in the region has
historically been one of more death,
destruction, divisions and instability.
It is equally hard to see any ethical
principles underlying this latest
intervention.”

4

I

LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS

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I September 2014

UK police posted threats, and
racist comments on social media

UK police officers and civilian
staff made racist and threatening
comments on Facebook and Twitter,
friend-requested victims of crime and
uploaded “compromising” images of
colleagues, figures released under
the Freedom of Information Act
show.
Documents obtained by the Press
Association show a total of 828
police employees were investigated
over a five-year period for breaching
police social media guidelines at
forces across England and Wales.
One in seven investigations
resulted in no further action or the
personnel having no case to answer,
but one in 10 resulted in an officer
resigning, being dismissed or taking
retirement.
In one instance, a civilian officer
posted a comment on a Facebook
account regarding the actions of

Muslims in central London failing to
observe two minutes’ silence. It was
alleged the language used “could be
regarded as offensive/inappropriate
likely to cause offence to other
persons,” police said.
Various forces also said there
were investigations into comments
that were deemed homophobic,
racist or “religiously aggressive”.
A Police Community Support
Officer (PCSO) with Devon and
Cornwall Police received a final
written warning for posting photos
on Facebook of themselves with
weapons. A sergeant with the same
force received a written warning after
publishing remarks on Facebook
showing disloyalty to the force and
remarks about senior officers.
According to Gwent Police, a
constable acted inappropriately while
attending a member of the public’s

home and asked her to become a
friend on Facebook, later sending
a message through the site. He
received a written warning. Another
sent a message to a member of the
public which was of an “abusive
nature”.
An employee with Dyfed Powys
was accused of being “threatening,
bullying and intimidating towards
a complainant by sending private
messages via Facebook”, while two
special constables in Northampton
resigned after being pictured on the
social media site in a “compromising
position”.
Nottinghamshire Police cited
an instance of a constable posting
“confidential information concerning
an upcoming police operation” while
another posted comments “regarding
their dissatisfaction at having to work
on an upcoming police operation”.
Other instances of professional
malpractice include a constable
with the Lancashire force making
inappropriate remarks on Facebook
regarding someone’s wife. A
colleague received counseling after
an investigation into a Facebook
photo of the staff member asleep
whilst on duty in the Control Room.
With 88 investigations, Greater
Manchester Police reported the most
guideline breaches, followed by West
Midlands on 74 and the London
Metropolitan Police on 69. Just 13
forces reported having 10 or fewer
investigations between January 2009
and February 2014.

Faith groups criticise campaign
Muslim and Jewish communities in
Scotland have hit out at a campaign
set up by vets which calls for all
animals to be stunned before
slaughter to avert suffering.
Both the Muslim Council for
Scotland and the Scottish Council of
Jewish Communities have criticised
the British Veterinary Association
(BVA) publicity drive.
The campaign - which was
stepped up when letters were sent

to Scotland’s political leaders - is at
odds with Muslim and Jewish beliefs
over halal and kosher practices.
It has led to claims by the Muslim
Council that a change could diminish
Islamic observance.
However, claims over reduced
animal suffering are at odds with the
views of the Farm Animal Welfare
Council (FAWC), which believes the
cut to the neck causes “significant
pain and distress”.

It also claims there is a delay to
the animal becoming insensible - five
to 10 seconds for sheep and 22 to 40
seconds for cows.
More than 80 per cent of halal
meat in the UK is stunned, while all
kosher meat is unstunned. Very little
non-stunning takes place in Scotland,
but the BVA has raised concerns
meat produced this way may be on
supermarket shelves north of the
Border without consumers knowing.

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I September 2014

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UK lobbied US to hide
role in CIA torture
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I September 2014

LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS

I7

In Case Y
o
Missed It u

The British government has been
lobbying US officials to conceal the
UK’s role in the CIA’s torture and
rendition program in an upcoming US
Senate report.
Newly-released data, published
under the UK’s Freedom of
Information (FOI) Act, revealed that
London’s Ambassador to Washington
Peter Westmacott engaged in at least
21 separate meetings with members
of the US Senate’s Select Committee
on Intelligence (SSCI) prior to its
publication of the report, deepening
existing allegations that the Britain
may be seeking to sanitize the
document.
Westmacott met with key
Democrats and Republicans on
the SSCI throughout the body’s
investigation of the CIA program,
records obtained by the UK legal
charity Reprieve reveal.
Of particular note are two
separate meetings with Senator
Diane Feinstein in the immediate
aftermath of the US government’s
decision to publish what is expected
to be a damning report on torture,
interrogation and rendition by the
CIA.
Multiple leaks concerning the
Senate’s findings have thus far
indicated that the document will
unveil new information relating to

Britain’s collaborative role in the
program, particularly with respect
to the CIA’s use of British foreign
territory Diego Garcia, which was
used to transfer detainees in the
rendition process.
Following the revelations, several
human rights groups have publicly
said Diego Garcia played a crucial
role in the CIA’s extraordinary
rendition – a program of moving
terrorist suspects to covert US
prisons around the world in the
absence of legislative oversight.
Former Foreign Secretary William
Hague previously conceded that the
British government had discussed the
issue of “UK material” in the SSCI’s

torture report with US officials.
Following recent revelations
pertaining to Westmacott’s regular
meetings with SCCI members,
Reprieve’s executive director, Clare
Algar, warned the logs uncovered
further evidence of “desperate
attempts” carried out by the British
government to “censor the Senate’s
report on CIA torture.”
The UK government was “up
to its neck in the CIA’s program
of rendition and torture – making
it highly likely that the Senate’s
report will contain information that is
deeply embarrassing for them,” Algar
emphasized.
www.pi-media.co.uk

UK Muslim urged to tap into Halal tourism
Businesses who supply products
and services to Muslims are being
urged to tap into the global boom in
halal tourism.
Tourism experts say the rise of
Muslim travellers across the world
could be worth millions for UK
companies and create a route to do
business on an international level.
Europe is hosting the Halal
Tourism Conference 2014 this
month to look at how the industry
can capitalise on one of the fastest
growing sectors in the world. It is the
first-ever international conference on

halal tourism.
According to the latest figures,
the halal tourism sector was worth
£84 billion in 2013 representing
around 13% of global travel
expenditures. This figure is expected
to reach £116 billion by 2020.
Tasneem Mahmood, Director of
CM Media, who are organising the
event, said halal tourism provides
excellent opportunities for UK
businesses especially those who
are in food and drink, tourism and
finance. In the UK alone the halal
food industry is worth £1 billion while

the global Halal food industry is
worth £399 billion.
The Halal Tourism Conference is
being held on 22 and 23 September
2014, hosted in Andalucia, Spain.
The two-day event, which is being
sponsored by Turkish Airlines, will
host around 500 delegates and
exhibitors from the Middle East, Far
East and Europe including those
currently active in halal tourism and
countries looking for help to break
into this sector.
For more information on the
event visit www.htc2014.com


8

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I September 2014

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I September 2014

LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS

I9

UK denies delaying Muslim
Brotherhood report over fears

The British government denied a
media report that it had delayed
publication of an investigation into
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood because
of disagreements among ministers
over its findings.
In April Prime Minister David
Cameron asked Britain’s ambassador
to Saudi Arabia to conduct an
investigation into the Muslim
Brotherhood, including allegations of
links to extremism and its impact on
British national security.
The Financial Times newspaper,
citing official sources, said the report
had found that the Brotherhood
should not be labelled a terrorist
organisation and had found little
evidence its members were involved
in terrorist activities.
However, ministers afraid of a
backlash from allies in the Middle
East have stalled the publication
of the report for several weeks, the
newspaper added.
“The review into the Muslim
Brotherhood hasn’t been delayed.
The main findings were completed

by July, as per the Prime Minister’s
request, and work is now underway
across government to consider the
implications of these findings,” a
government spokeswoman said.
A spokeswoman for the Prime
Minister said the government would
make the findings public “in due
course” but that it had never set out
a timeframe for doing so.

The Muslim Brotherhood, once
Egypt’s oldest, best organised and
most successful political movement,
has seen hundreds of its members
killed and thousands detained since
then-army chief Abdel Fattah Al Sisi
overthrew elected president and
Brotherhood member Mohamed
Mursi 13 months ago, following
weeks of protest.

Leading UK department
store to sell school hijabs

Retailer John Lewis is to offer the
hijab in its school uniform range for
the first time in stores in London and
Liverpool.
John Lewis has signed contracts

with two schools,
one of which
is in northwest
London and was
set up to educate
Muslim girls only,
while the other
is in Liverpool
and welcomes
students from
any religious or
non-religious
community.
The Islamia
Girls’ School in
northwest London was set up in
1983 by Yusuf Islam, better known
as the singer Cat Stevens before his
conversion to Islam in 1977.
The Belvedere Academy in

Liverpool was founded 130 years
ago and is a non-denominational
school for girls. It was the first school
in the UK to become an independent
academy in 2007.It was recently
judged by Ofsted, the UK schools
watchdog, as “outstanding”.
In London the hijab will be sold
for £9 with a teal blazer retailing at
£65 and an ankle length grey skirt
for £40. In Liverpool the hijab will be
sold more cheaply, at £6, and will be
available in navy or back alongside a
formal uniform with a blazer for £40.
The fact that a mainstream,
upmarket UK retailer such as John
Lewis has started to supply the hijab
will likely be welcomed by Muslim
parents who until now have relied on
specialist shops.

10

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LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS

I 11

700,000 immigrants to UK
can’t speak English – report

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Hundreds of thousands of immigrants
in the UK are unable to get
professional help learning English
because of government cuts, a think
tank says.
While government support for
English courses for migrants is
falling, the demand for these courses
is likely to grow as the number of
UK immigrants rises, according
to a report released by the think
tank Demos. It has been estimated
that ethnic minorities will make up
between 25 percent and 43 percent
of the population by 2056.
Only 150,000 migrants are
currently registered in English
classes – meaning that as many as
700,000 are being “left voiceless,”

the report warns.
Using a freedom of information
request, the think tank Demos found
that government funding for English
for Speakers of Other Languages
courses has reduced by 40 percent
in the past five years, from £212
million in 2008-09 down to £128
million in 2012-13.
Ally Paget, researcher at Demos
and author of the report, said, “It
is essential that we get as many
newcomers as possible using English
with confidence. This will unlock
migrants’ potential and benefit the
whole country. Unfortunately, our
current ESOL system is not up to
the task. Current policy suffers from
fragmentation, lack of clarity about

the aims and intended outcomes of
learning, and the tendency to take a
short-term view.”
According to Demos, there
are large waiting lists around the
country, which “points to a paradox:
an identifiable ESOL need and
withdrawal of state support.” One
survey found that four out of five
classes were full and had waiting
lists – some with more than 1,000
names on them.
“Currently around 700,000
people are left in limbo and it is
unlikely their English will improve
without sustained learning,” Paget
added.
Immigrants who know the
language are more likely to integrate
and “become part of civic life
because they have the necessary
capabilities to navigate British
society,” Demos said.
ESOL provision is currently the
responsibility of the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills,
though the Demos report claims
this leads the government to focus
primarily on employment at the
expense of other outcomes.

Two arrested and £400k seized
in Hajj fraud investigation
Two men were arrested
and an estimated £400,000
was seized a travel
agencies in East London
as part of an ongoing
investigation into Hajj
fraud.
The investigation by
Birmingham City Council
Trading Standards and
City of London Police,
saw searches on two
travel agencies suspected
of selling Hajj packages
with false or no travel
protection.
The tour operators
are suspected of selling

package holidays,
including Hajj pilgrimages,
by either falsely claiming to
have Air Travel Organiser’s
Licence (ATOL) protection
or selling unlicensed
packages with no ATOL
protection, leaving
customers exposed if
something went wrong with
their trips.
The two men, aged
37 and 42, were taken to
a local police station for
questioning and were later
released on bail.
All travel companies
selling packages involving

flights and accommodation
must be ATOL accredited
to ensure people are

protected and insured
against unforeseen
circumstances.

12

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US supplies fresh batch
of weapons to Lebanon
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I September 2014

U.S. Ambassador in Beirut David
Hale said the U.S. was working
to provide all the weapons and
ammunition requested by the
Lebanese army to allow the latter
to secure the borders and defeat
extremist groups.
The Lebanese army received a
consignment of weapons from the
U.S. for the ostensible purpose of
securing the country’s borders and
confronting extremist groups, U.S.
Ambassador in Beirut David Hale has
said.
Hale told a press conference,
held on the occasion of the arrival of
the arms shipment to Beirut Airport’s
military airbase, that the U.S. was
working to provide all the weapons
and ammunition requested by the

WORLD NEWS

Lebanese army to allow the latter
to secure the borders and defeat
extremist groups.
He added that arms shipment was
the last of three to be delivered in
response to requests by Lebanese
Prime Minister Tamam Sallam, it
included 1,000 M-16 assault rifles,
according to Hale, while an earlier
batch – included 480 anti-tank
missile launchers and 500 M-16
rifles.
Other consignments of heavy
ammunition will be provided by the
U.S. to Lebanon within the coming
few weeks, Hale affirmed.
In early August, Arsal – from
which the so-called “Islamic State”
militant group recently captured a
number of Lebanese soldiers – saw

LA to embark on major
wide Islamic arts initiative

A series of exhibitions are scheduled
to land in Los Angeles starting in
September as part of a major Islamic
Arts initiative.
The Los Angeles / Islam Arts
Initiative (LA/IAI) is the first-of-its-kind
citywide initiative showcasing Islamic
arts to take place anywhere.
The initiative will bring together
nearly 30 cultural institutions in
the L.A. area to stage exhibitions
and events that will tell the story of
Islamic art around the world.
This should offer some
perspective on the culture of a
region whose politics and traditions
are often oversimplified, when they
aren’t serving as a source of outright
caricature.
“One of the things that we were
talking about when we were planning
this initiative was the huge role that

Hollywood has in creating a picture
of what is and isn’t Muslim,” says
Amitis Motavelli, who is overseeing
the program for DCA. “This image
is spread internationally. So I think
it behooves the city of L.A. to look
at multiple views — not just that of
constant victim or constant terrorist.
We want to show the multiple
perspectives that exist in any culture.
It humanizes people.”
The initiative will consist of
dozens of exhibitions, screenings,
lectures and symposia covering
topics as varied as decorative
objects, contemporary art, folk
traditions and architectural
photography.
The LA/IAI effort focuses on art
throughout the Islamic world, from
the Middle East to other parts of
Asia, to Europe and the U.S.

I 13

intense fighting between militants
and Lebanese troops.
The violence has largely
destroyed a number of refugee
camps that cater to thousands of
Syrian refugees, prompting many to
flee.
Along with the influx of hundreds
of thousands of war-weary refugees,
Lebanon has been hard hit by the
conflict in neighboring Syria.
The country has also witnessed
a recent surge in militant attacks
in response to Hezbollah’s role in
Syria, where the Shiite faction has
continued to fight alongside Syrian
regime troops against heavily-armed
opposition forces.

By Gad Yateem

A new Mosque
rises in Alaska

Alaska’s small but growing Muslim
community is building the state’s
first newly constructed mosque.
“This is our future,” said
Osama Obeidi, one of the MuslimAmericans leading the building
effort for the Islamic Community
Center of Anchorage. “We have
second-generation Alaskans
now, and new people coming all
the time. We need a place to call
home.”
The 15,000-square-foot
mosque, taking shape near a
Sons of Norway Viking Hall, will
eventually include a Sunday
school and a community center
with twin minarets.
The mosque is perhaps the
clearest sign yet that Islam in the
US is rapidly pushing beyond
traditional population centers such
as Detroit and Los Angeles.
American Muslims grow
through immigration as well as
birthrates and conversions. The
Muslim population in the US is
expected to more than double by
2030, to 6.2 million, according to a
2011 Pew Research Center study.

Kuwait detained a prominent Sunni
Muslim cleric at the Gulf state’s
airport after the United States
included him on a sanctions list on
suspicion that he is funnelling money
to militants in Iraq and Syria, a
security source told Reuters.
Hajjaj al-Ajmi was detained at
the airport on his arrival from Qatar,
whose leadership supports Islamist
groups such as Egypt’s Muslim
Brotherhood and gives refuge to
prominent figures from Hamas and
the Taliban but does not back the
militant Islamists operating in Iraq
and Syria.
The security source gave no
further details about the detention.
Nobody at Kuwait’s Interior Ministry
was immediately available for
comment.
In their push to crack down on
financing of militants in Syria and
Iraq, Kuwaiti authorities also briefly
detained another prominent Muslim
cleric on Sunday, Shafi al-Ajmi, who
belongs to the same extended tribe
as Hajjaj al-Ajmi.
Shafi al-Ajmi was later released
without charge.

Kuwait has been one of the
biggest humanitarian donors to
Syrian refugees through the United
Nations, but it has also struggled
to control unofficial fund-raising for
opposition groups in Syria by private
individuals.
The Kuwaiti government, an ally
of the United States, has stepped
up its monitoring of individuals and
charities suspected of collecting
donations for militants linked to al

Gaza war costs
Israel $2.5 billion
Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip
has reportedly cost Tel Aviv USD
2.5 billion over the past 41 days,
creating a colossal budget deficit for
the regime.
So far, Israel has incurred an
average daily cost of USD 60 million
per day.
This is while so far, Israel’s
Iron Dome missile system has
intercepted nearly 600 rockets fired
by the Palestinian resistance forces.
Each Iron Dome Tamir missile
costs at least USD 50,000 for Israel
and in most of the cases the regime
has to fire two missiles at each
Palestinian rocket.
Pundits contend that continuation
of the present conflict will not be

economically viable for Israel.
At least 2,095 Palestinians,
mostly civilians, have lost their
lives and over 10,200 have been
injured despite pressure from the
international community on the
Tel Aviv regime to end aggression
against Palestinians.
Palestinian resistance
movements say they have killed
more than 150 Israelis in the conflict.
Israel confirms 64 were killed.
In mid-August Hamas announced
that Tel Aviv is misinforming Israeli
people about the number of Israeli
soldiers killed in the latest Israeli
onslaught on the besieged Gaza
Strip.
www.pi-media.co.uk

Qaeda in Syria and in Iraq.
The U.N. Security Council
imposed sanctions on six people
suspected of financing Islamist
militants, including two Kuwaitis, in
a move aimed at weakening Islamic
State and al Qaeda’s Syrian wing,
Nusra Front.

Smart prayer
rug presented
in Dagestan
This prayer rug is equipped with
sensors that help Muslims don’t
lose count of rak’at and correctly
perform all the movements.
“If a believer makes a mistake
the sensors start to make vibrating
signals, which do not interfere with
the process to focus on prayer,”
- told the inventors.
Using special rugs to perform
the obligatory prayers is not
obligatory.
Muslims use small rugs,
turning them towards the Kaaba
to be confident in the cleanliness
of the place of prayer.
The inventors of the smart rug
has patented their invention in
Russia and are going to get an
international patent.
They said that the device will
be in demand as about 1.6 billion
Muslims live around the world.

16

I WORLD NEWS

ww.pi-media.co.uk

I September 2014

Afghan Special Forces in
talks with Taliban in Helmand

The commander of Afghan Special
Forces in Helmand says he is holding
talks with the Taliban militants over
a deal aimed at better protecting
security in the southern province.
General Asadullah Shirzad
said that the security situation in
Helmand’s Sangin district is “much
better” since Afghan forces assumed
responsibility for the security of the
war-torn country as US-led foreign
forces prepare to withdraw by the
end of 2014.

However, Shirzad stressed that
“to have a peaceful province we need
more time to talk,” adding, “Based on
my contacts with Taliban and tribal
elders I have already started talks.”
The Afghan military official
refused to elaborate on the details
of his talks with the Taliban militant
group, expressing hope he could
extend the negotiations across
Helmand once peace had been
restored in the Sangin district.
This is while Taliban has denied

any negotiations with Afghan security
forces in Helmand, saying the
militant group does not “have any
plan to talk now.”
Helmand, which sits on the
border with Pakistan, has been a
focal point of Taliban activity.
Taliban has stepped up its attacks
against Afghan government forces,
foreign troops and civilians. The
group has vowed to escalate the
attacks on Afghan forces and USled soldiers, their bases, diplomatic
missions and vehicle convoys.
The US and its allies invaded
Afghanistan in 2001 as part of
Washington’s so-called war on
terror. The offensive removed the
Taliban from power, but insecurity
continues across the country despite
the presence of thousands of US-led
troops.

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ian
med

i
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/PIMe

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PI TV News and Sport

Qatar ‘refusing to end GCC rift’
Qatar is refusing to agree to a series
of conditions that would help end a
rift between Gulf states, a senior Gulf
diplomat has told Asharq Al Awsat,
an Arabic-language newspaper in
London.
The official said Qatar has refused
to sign a final report compiled by
the GCC committee monitoring
the implementation of the Riyadh
agreement on ending the diplomatic
dispute, which includes banning
GCC states from supporting terrorrelated activities, interfering with the
domestic affairs of other GCC states,
or adopting foreign policies harmful
to the interests of the other state

members.
The agreement has been written
after the UAE, Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors
to Doha on March 5 in protest over
what they claim is Qatar’s meddling
in their affairs, as well as its support
of the Muslim Brotherhood, which
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have
declared a terrorist organisation.
The agreement also included
a ban on the Qatari government
granting citizenship to Bahraini
nationals, following reports some
Bahraini families were being offered
“privileges” to switch nations.
The report was compiled by a

technical committee consisting of
representatives from the six GCC
member states, and is expected to
be discussed by the GCC ministerial
council on August 30 in Jeddah,
Asharq Al Awsat said.
Doha has claimed it has “done all
that is required of it”, but GCC foreign
ministers insist it has been all words,
the official claimed.
He said the GCC was not yet
considering sanctions on Qatar, the
world’s richest country.
“No such sanctions have been
discussed so far,” he was quoted as
saying.
www.pi-media.co.uk

India plans to buy
missile from Israel
www.pi-media.co.uk

I September 2014

ndia’s Cabinet Committee on
Security (CCS) has voted for a
motion to purchase 262 Barak-I antiship missiles and spare parts from
Tel Aviv, despite the country’s recent
vote against Israel for its human
rights violations in Gaza.
The USD 163 million deal
approved was initiated under the
former Defense Minister AK Antony in
December 2013.
The move comes after India voted
for a United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) resolution against
Tel Aviv on its Gaza offensive.
In late July, the UN agency
announced its decision to launch an
investigation into the Israeli brutal
military campaign in Gaza shortly
after its chief Navi Pillay said that
there is a “strong possibility” that Tel
Aviv was violating international law

WORLD NEWS

in its military operations against the
coastal sliver.
The Israeli military aggression
against Gaza, which began on July
8, has claimed the lives of more than

Saudi Arabia sentences another
18 men over terrorist attacks

Saudi Arabia’s terrorism court
has sentenced to jail another 18
men, including foreigners, for up
to 25 years for participating in
terrorist attacks within the kingdom,
according to state media.
The men were part of a 50member cell that had carried out
attacks since 2003, Saudi Press
Agency said.
It said the group was “one of the
most dangerous” to stand trial in the
kingdom.
Three other members of the
group were sentenced to the death

penalty and 26 men were given
jail terms of up to 30 years.
The men have been
convicted of crimes including
bombing cars, government
buildings and residential
compounds and plotting to
assassinate government
officials and attack foreign
embassies.
Some also were charged
with the abduction and killing
of a foreigner, impersonating
police officers, fighting in conflicts
abroad, firing at security officers and
disobeying King Abdullah.
In addition to the prison terms,
the 18 men sentenced were fined
between SR5000 and SR25,000 and
banned from travelling abroad for the
same length of their jail term after
their release.
Representatives of the Human
Rights Commission were in the court
to hear the verdicts, Saudi Press
Agency said.

I 17

1,900 Palestinians, including at least
400 children, and wounded over
9,500 others. Palestinian resistance
movements have retaliated by
launching rockets into Israel.

Syria death toll
to reach 200,000
More than 191,000 people have
been killed in over three years
of fighting in war-ravaged Syria,
says the United Nations.
In a report released,
the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) announced the death
toll, the first issued since July
2013 with a figure standing at
100,000.
The Geneva-based
OHCHR said the death figure
documented between March
2011 and the end of April 2014
amounted to 191,369 people.
There were nearly 52,000
other reported killings, not
included due to the lack of ample
information.
Around 9.3 percent of the
documented victims are women
in the list, which also includes
8,803 minors, with 2,165 of them
children under the age of ten.

No burial place for
Muslims in Finland

18

I WORLD NEWS

www.pi-media.co.uk I September 2014

Islam
growing in
Swaziland

Muslims in Finland are facing a
dilemma regarding the burial of their
dead after a fruitless six-year search
for land that could be used as a
cemetery in the Uusimaa region.
Since 2008, Muslims living in
the region have been looking for
a suitable location for a cemetery,
having made do with small ‘Muslim
section’ in Lutheran church
cemeteries, worldbulletin website
reported.
“You would certainly think that we
would find an area in Uusimaa that
could be rezoned for cemetery use,”
deputy chair of the Finnish Islamic
Council Pia Jardi told Yle Finnish
website.
According to OnIslam, over the
past six years, Finnish Muslims have
submitted enquiries in 16 different

cities and towns in the Uusimaa
region in southern Finland, yet
none of these bids have proven
successful.
“Perhaps it has to do with a lack
of political will. If you even scan web
forums they are extremely antiMuslim,” Jardi said, noting that they
have been told that there is a lack of
suitable land.
“I know of cases where the dead
have been buried abroad even
though the families couldn’t afford
it, because there wasn’t a suitable
burial ground in their own town.
People’s last wish is to have an
Islamic burial,” she added.
There are between 40,000 to
45,000 Muslims among Finland’s 5.2
million population, including native
Baltic Tatars.

Islam is a rapidly growing
religion in the African country of
Swaziland.
At first there was only one
mosque in the country, but
mosques are now mushrooming
in almost all the corners of the
country with Swazis joining the
religion in their numbers, the
country’s Observer newspaper
reports.
Today there are mosques in
Ezulwini, Mbabane, Manzini and
almost all the other towns where
Muslims go to worship God.
The latest mosque to under
construction is in Manzini and
has already gained popularity
amongst many locals.
Swaziland is a landlocked
country in Southern Africa.
Muslims make up around
12 percent of the country’s
population.

The All Dulles Area Muslim Society,
known as ADAMS, has announced
the plans to build a mosque in the
Nokesville area in Virginia, USA.
ADAMS’ strategy is to integrate
mosque with existing facility for an
optimum use of space with special
consideration to efficiency of longterm operation and maintenance,

providing sufficient gathering areas
inside and outside- lobbies, foyers,
and a stand alone minaret.
ADAMS informed that the total
estimated construction cost is $5.5
– $6 million. The current construction
account balance is only $1.125
million.
All site plans are completed and

all land development permits are
issued and construction documents
are at 95% completion. We plan
to submit for construction permit
once 50% of the construction cost is
secured.
Nokesville is in Prince William
County, Virginia, United States.
www.pi-media.co.uk

Muslim Society plans new
Mosque in Nokesville

More mosques to be
built in UAE this year

www.pi-media.co.uk

I September 2014

WORLD NEWS I 19

With at least one mosque located in
every area, the UAE currently has
5,036 mosques across its seven
emirates, and is aiming to build 215
more.
Known for its traditionally built
mosques and Islamic architecture,
one can hear the call for prayer
anywhere, as some areas have more
than three mosques located along
the same street.
Gulf News talked to the General
Authority of Islamic Affairs and
Endowments that confirmed that
statistics released in June showed
that the number of mosques stands
at 5,036 to date.

“There are plans to build more
mosques during this year, and the
number of mosques that are due
to come into operation until the
end of 2014 stands at 215,” said
Dr Mohammad Mattar Al Ka’abi,
Director-General of the General
Authority of Islamic Affairs and
Endowments.
The authority has confirmed that
construction of the new mosques has
already started in different emirates.
The reason behind building more
mosques across the country is due
to its fast-paced development and
growing population. “The appeal
for building mosques is increasing

across the UAE in general due to the
urban expansion and construction of
new cities and towns,” he explained.
With the UAE being home to
more than 50 nationalities, the
demand for mosques to carry out
the Friday sermon in languages
other than Arabic has also naturally
increased.
The statistics showed that out of
5,036 mosques in the UAE, 2,024
mosques hold the Friday sermons
in Arabic while 115 mosques hold it
in English and Urdu. “The request
for more mosques establishing
[the] Friday sermon in non-Arabic
languages is under study,” said Dr Al
Ka’abi.
With more than 200 new
mosques currently under
construction and the request for
more mosques to cater to Muslim
expatriates under study, the number
of mosques in the country is poised
to reach 5,251 by 2015.
Currently, Al Ain has the highest
number of mosques at 1,069,
followed by 935 mosques located in
the Eastern Region, and 903 in Ras
Al Khaimah. The UAE also the fourth
largest mosque in the world — the
Grand Zayed Mosque located in Abu
Dhabi.

A 91-year-old Dutchman who was
awarded a medal by Israel in 2011
for hiding a Jewish child from Nazis
during World War II has returned his
medal back to Israel after six of his
relatives were killed in an air strike on
Gaza.
Henk Zanoli sent a letter to Israeli
ambassador in The Hague to say
he no longer wanted the “Righteous
Among the Nations” medal following
the attack on his great-niece’s Gaza
home on July 20, which killed her

husband’s mother, three brothers,
a sister-in-law and nine-year-old
nephew.
“To hold on to the honour granted
to me by the State of Israel under
these circumstances, would be an
insult... to those in my family, four
generations on, who lost no less than
six of their relatives in Gaza,” Zanoli
wrote in a letter.
“The great-great grandchildren
of my mother have lost their
grandmother, three uncles, an aunt

and a cousin at the hands of the
Israeli military,” he added.
Mr Zanoli, who is a retired lawyer,
also slammed the Zionist regime’s
bombing of the Gaza Strip, calling
incidents like the one that targeted
the home of his great-niece, a Dutch
diplomat in Gaza, “war crimes and
crimes against humanity.”
The medal was then reportedly
returned to the Israeli embassy in the
Netherlands.
www.pi-media.co.uk

Dutchman returns medal
to Israel after relatives killed

Shortage of prayer
leaders in US Mosques
20I WORLD NEWS

Even as the Muslim population in the
US multiplies, the number of religious
leaders, known as imams, lags
behind.
Many Muslim immigrants have
steered their children away from
religious leadership roles and toward
careers in medicine, engineering,
law and business, said Jihad Turk,
an imam and president of Bayan
Claremont, the Islamic graduate
school at Claremont School of
Theology in Southern California.
Many American mosques are run
on shoestring budgets by volunteers
and can’t always guarantee a leader
a steady paycheck, Huffington Post
wrote.
According to 2011 study

www.pi-media.co.uk I September 2014

sponsored by a multifaith coalition,
only 44% of U.S. imams are full-time
and paid, with volunteers filling the
role in many congregations.
Finding an imam who can
relate to young, American-born
congregants is especially tough, said
U.S. Muslim leaders.
Younger American Muslims
expect more than traditional
scripture-recitals from imams, said
Edgar Hopida, spokesman for the
Islamic Society of North America,
a network of Muslim leaders and
groups. Like other American clergymembers, imams are expected to be
“marriage counselor, youth director,
scholar and fundraiser,” Mr. Hopida
said. “Like the local priest, they’re put

into this role of community leader.”
Most imams, born and educated
in the Middle East, have a hard
time ministering to Americans, said
Mr. Turk, a 43-year-old Phoenix
native whose program aims to train
American imams with courses on
nonprofit management, psychology,
civic engagement, gender relations
and the media.
“The older immigrant generation
has to understand it doesn’t matter
where you’re from, your kids are
American. And there’s a very real
concern that that younger generation
will not find the mosque a place that
resonates with them if imams aren’t
prepared to help them with their
world,” said Mr. Turk.
Some congregations are
beginning to understand this, Mr.
Turk said. One Boston imam recently
gave a “Breaking Bad” sermon,
incorporating ideas from the popular
television show. A congregation
outside Los Angeles hired an
American-born Midwesterner who
had converted to Islam.
Other congregations are offering
coed activities, encouraging civic
involvement and openly discussing
the challenge of establishing an
American Muslim identity.

Qatar Charity’s House of Quran
project completed in Indonesia

Qatar Charity (QC) has completed
a new multi-service project in
Indonesia.
The ‘House of the Quran’
comprises six classrooms, a mosque,
a science laboratories’ hall, an office,
housing for teachers and students
and two shops and will benefit over
350 students.
The school aims to improve the
level of education and community
development in the target area
and comes as part of community
development projects complying with

the 2015 Millennium Development
Goals.
This is the 15th multi-service
centre established by QC in
Indonesia, with others spread across
several cities.
QC has also established cultural
and educational projects in the
country, including construction of 16
schools benefiting around 53,000
people, and 496 mosques benefitting
around a quarter of a million people,
in addition to a project for the printing
and distribution of the Holy Quran,

benefitting around 150,000 people.
QC’s main areas of work in
Indonesia focuses on the following:
Construction of mosques, schools
and other educational institutes,
Quran memorisation centres,
orphanages, health centres and
homes for poor families, sponsorship
of teachers, preachers, students
and poor families, health awareness
and environmental campaigns for
students and the digging of shallow
and artesian wells.
www.pi-media.co.uk

Hajj pilgrims monitored
for Ebola virus
www.pi-media.co.uk

I September 2014

WORLD NEWS I 21

In Case You
Missed It

Pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia
from different countries are being
monitored for the Ebola virus at the
airports.
This was stated by a senior official
from the Ministry of Health.
“We are checking pilgrims coming
on airlines from West and Central
Africa, and also from other countries,

since pilgrims could have been on
transit in the endemic countries and
can potentially be carriers of the
virus,” said Sami Badawood, director
general of the Directorate of Health
Affairs in Jeddah.
“We don’t want to take any
chances by allowing infected pilgrims
into the Kingdom,” Badawood said,

Russian police targets
hijab wearing Muslims
Crimea’s veiled Muslim women
have been complaining over being
targeted by police for security
checks ahead of a visit by Russian
president Vladimir Putin to the black
sea peninsula, adding that they are
usually treated as enemies on their
Facebook profiles.
“This shows that Russian police
do not trust headscarfed women and
see them as a separate group in the
general public,” Eider Ismailov, the
assistant mufti of Crimea, told Qirim
News Agency.
“This is nothing but an insult
against our beliefs as Muslims,”
Ismailov said.
Recently, Muslim women in the
capital Simferopol and Bakhchysarai
have accused Russian police of
pulling women with Islamic hijab over
for passport checks.
Women added that they were
being treated as if they were
‘enemies’ on their Facebook profiles.
Crimea religious schools, or
madrassahs, have been searched for
banned Islamic literature.
Three madrasas were searched

during August 13, ahead of a law that
will come into force in 2015 that bans
a number of popular Islamic books,
another assistant mufti, Esadullah
Bairov, said.
“The books are removed as a
warning, as the law is not in force
in Crimea yet. Still no extremist
literature was found in Crimean
madrasas that were searched,”
Bairov said.
The so-called “Federal List of
Extremist Materials” was compiled
by the Russian Ministry of Justice on
July 14, 2007 and contained 1,058
items as of December 25, 2011.
According to the ban, producing,
storing or distributing the materials
on the list is an offense in Russia.
The Russian move to annex
Crimea followed an earlier vote in
March on the peninsula’s future.
The referendum, approved by
96 percent, was followed by several
steps from pro-Moscow Crimean
parliament, issuing a law that allows
Russia’s annexation of the disputed
peninsula.
www.pi-media.co.uk

adding that the suspected cases
will be quarantined immediately and
sent to a designated hospital for
specialized treatment, Arab News
reported.
The Health Ministry has also
issued an advisory against travel
to Liberia, Sierra Leone and New
Guinea.
The government stopped issuing
Hajj visas to these countries as an
initial step to control the spread of
the disease among the pilgrims.
The WHO has said the spread
of Ebola in West Africa is an
international health emergency.
WHO officials said a co-ordinated
response was essential to stop and
reverse the spread of the virus.
In Nigeria, one of the latest countries
to be affected, President Goodluck
Jonathan has declared a national
state of emergency.

Scandinavia
opens first
Islamic
Theology
School

The northern European region of
Scandinavia has officially opened
its first Islamic Theology boarding
school, known as an Imam Khatib
school, in the Danish city of
Slagelse.
The school is due to take on
students from Denmark, Norway
and Sweden and will teach the
national curriculum along with
Turkish and Islamic lessons in the
fields of Quran, Hadith and Islamic
tenets.
Boarding school head Ahmet
Deniz told Anadolu Agency
said that Mina Hindholm will be
Denmark’s first official Islamic
school for students aged 18 and
up. The school already has 52
students.

Boxing champion
to open Dubai gym

22

I SPORT

Two-time world boxing champion
David Haye has opened his
Hayemaker Gym in Dubai with
the support of Dubai Investment
Development Agency (Dubai FDI),
an agency of the Department of
Economic Development (DED).
Hayemaker Gym Dubai aims
to be a centre of excellence for
sports and performance coaching,
a statement said, adding that Haye
also has plans to expand into smaller

www.pi-media.co.uk I September 2014

specialised units such as boxing
studios and hypoxic training facilities.
Expanding across the wider GCC
and Middle East in the same format
would be the next step, the statement
added.
Commenting on supporting
Hayemaker Gym to move to Dubai,
Fahad Al Gergawi, CEO of Dubai
FDI said world class health and
fitness facilities moving to Dubai is
reinforcing the emirate’s growing

Pioneer coach’s new
role with soccer giants
The world’s first wheelchair-bound
football coach for able-bodied
players has landed a dream role at
Manchester United.
Sohail Rehman, 22, from
Keighley, will work for Manchester
United Soccer Schools and has
two roles, coaching teenagers who
go to the club for a trial and visiting
schools to train children on behalf of
United.
He became the world’s first
wheelchair bound football coach of
able-bodied players last year after
passing his coaching badges. After
starting out with Sunday league

teams, he set his sights on the top
level of sport.
He landed the job despite being
born with spinal muscular atrophy,
which meant he was confined to a
wheelchair by his teens.
He said: “When the chance to
play was taken away from me I think
it was the only option I had really. I
could watch the game but I always
wanted to do more than watch it. I
did it all the way up to college and
then once I got to college they said to
me you know so much about sports
why don’t you do sports.
www.pi-media.co.uk

appeal as a lifestyle and health
tourism destination.
“Dubai’s efforts to become a
leading healthcare destination and
supporting initiatives such as the
Dubai Healthcare City is providing
vast opportunities in various
disciplines of health and wellness,”
he said.
Haye launched his signature gym
after 22 years of professional boxing,
saying: “Having been a frequent
visitor to Dubai I know it’s a city
where people demand the best and
where they come to improve their
lives.
“The Hayemaker Gym Dubai will
fill the niche for world-class fitness
expertise and equipment that the
Dubai community deserves. It will
be a driving force for the health and
fitness community in the emirate.”
The Hayemaker team is led by
Haye himself, along with Alberto
Barbieri who brings a wealth
of knowledge in hospitality and
customer service, and Diana
Gaskell, a veteran in opening and
operating clubs around the world,
the statement said.

We are looking
for volunteer
sport journalist
who can go to
sporting venues
across the UK.
Interested ?
Then email us at
info@pi-media.
co.uk or call us
on 07506 466 385

www.pi-media.co.uk

SPORT I 23

I September 2014

Pakistan stun rivals India in first
football match in over a decade

Indian penalty box.
The players hugged and shook
hands on the final whistle before the
Pakistani team took a victory lap,
waving their national flag.
The teams are next set to
compete in the Asian Games starting
in South Korea this month.
India are 150th in FIFA’s world
rankings while Pakistan languish
further down in 164th spot.

Pakistan pulled off a surprise 2-0
win over India with a late goal from
Saddam Hussain ensuring them a
share of the spoils in the first football
series between the arch rivals for
almost a decade.
Pakistan’s captain Kaleemullah
put his side ahead in the 38th minute
and a scrambled shot by Hussain in
the 89th minute silenced the 5,000
Indian spectators at the Bangalore
Football Stadium.
The home fans had been hoping
for more of the same after India won
the first match 1-0, at the start of
the first series between the South
Asian neighbors since India toured
Pakistan in 2005.
India suspended all sporting ties
with Pakistan following the deadly
2008 attacks on Mumbai, blamed
on militants from across the border.
However the two countries have
played each other in a variety of
sports in the last few years, including

cricket.
India came close to opening
the scoring when a dipping longrange effort by skipper Sunil Chhetri
was palmed away by Pakistan’s
goalkeeper Muzamil Husain.
Chhetri set up debutant Haokip
Thonhkosiem to score in the 37th
minute, only to see his attempt saved
by Husain. Francis Fernandes then
squandered a golden opportunity to
score off the rebound.
A minute later Pakistan went
ahead when Kaleemullah swept
home a free kick after being brought
down by Indian midfielder Lalrindika
Ralte just outside the box.
India swarmed forward in the
second half in an increasingly
desperate bid to find an equalizer
but could not breach a determined
Pakistani defense.
Their hopes were finally
extinguished when Hussain poked
the ball home after a solo run into the

All Blacks
ease rules for
Williams’ return

The All Blacks said they had
relaxed their rules to clear the way
for code-swap superstar Sonny
Bill Williams to slot straight back
into the team when he returns to
rugby union later this year.
Williams, who is completing his
second stint in Australia’s National
Rugby League (NRL), would
normally have to participate in
New Zealand’s domestic ITM Cup
before being eligible for All Black
honours.
But the New Zealand Rugby
Union (NZRU) said an exemption
would be made, allowing Williams
to play the world champions’ endof-year tour to the United States
and Europe.
The All Blacks play the United
States in Chicago on November 2,
before heading to Europe for Tests
against England, Scotland and
Wales. Williams’ return has been
timed to reinforce the All Blacks
before they defend their Rugby
World Cup title in England next
year.

Premier League football stars join teams in Qatar
Swansea City’s Chico Flores and
Pablo Hernandez have left to join
teams in Qatar for undisclosed fees,
the Premier League club announced.
Defender Flores will be reunited
with former Swansea manager
Michael Laudrup at defending
champions Lekhwia, while attacking
midfielder Hernandez has joined AlArabi.
Flores, 27, revealed he was
leaving the club, posting an open

letter to Swansea fans on his Twitter
account.
“I hope this is not a forever
goodbye,” the letter read. “Two years
ago I came to Swansea with many
hopes and dreams in my luggage.
“I have experienced so much
these two seasons that, by far,
exceeded my expectations. That is
why I am sad to leave a club that
has been like a family since the
beginning.”

Hernandez, who has four caps
for Spain, was a then club-record
signing for the Welsh club when he
moved from Valencia for 5.55 million
pounds ($9.26 million) in 2012.
The 29-year-old was a member
of the Swansea team that won the
League Cup in 2013, although Flores
missed the final through injury. It was
the first major trophy in the club’s
history.
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Voices of Young British Muslims

Since 9/11, and to some degree the
Rushdie affairs the debates about
muslim youth having centred around
loyalty, belonging and citizenship. But
young muslims are finding their feet
in the world around them and they
are throttled with perceived ideas by
both the media and society at large.
The muslim youth are living in
unprecedented times. The new social
media transports news to our phones
instantly. The actions of other muslim
youth across the world pushes
pressure on the muslim youth in the
UK to justify that Islam is a peaceful
religion and that they are law abiding
British citizens. This is even worse
when the stereotypes and myths are
supported by actual international
events.
Then this results in the muslim
youth being perceived as threat to
the larger community. Then they link
the historical experiences of other
European muslims.
Young Muslims hear about
Bosnians who had integrated into
their societies. They shared the same
colour, they shared close friendship
circles only then to be rejected by
the wider society. This confuses the
youth further as Islam teaches about
allegiance to the state.
Many muslim youth find it
confusing as to why their allegiance

to the state is questioned, especially
as Islam advocates allegiance to
the government of the land. There
aware and recognise that they need
to follow the laws of the land in order
to be a good muslim but the media
doesn’t seem to be helping in their
journey to be good.
The media is complicating
matters. They attach labels to
the muslim youth. They are not
considering the youth to be British
often treating them as foreign within
their borders.
This confuses the muslim youth
about their identity. The portraying
of the muslim communities as
“distinctly-different” and “alien” is not
helping them integrate especially
when they are disturbed by recent
Israeli actions in Gaza which only
endorses the view that the west is
anti-islam.
Muslim youth are politically more
literate because recent events have
made them more aware. However,
the system is unwilling to listen to
them and continues to sterotype
them.
This is adding to the tensions and
making matters worse in their country
as they feel the state is not listening
to their views and communities are
not collectively organised to boycott
support of parties and companies.

Part
Two

As a result of the media
confusion, the muslim youth
are disturbed about identity and
citizenship. Young muslim youth are
receiving mixed messages. Realising
the support is not there by the state
the muslim youth are reviewing their
identity.
As we drive north of the country
up to Scotland, some youth are
returning to the traditional ways
where respect for parents and the
belief that by pleasing them results in
having a successful marriage.
The muslim youth in these parts
of the country have seen such
traditional marriages work and they
are comparing how they have seen
a generation before them waiting
longer than the traditional norm
in finding a suitable partner and
consequently settling down much
later.
However, this is in stark contrast
to the views of the muslim female
youth in Tower Hamlet, London
where the youth will be ‘economical
about the truth’ with their parents
about where they go, activities
they pursue, parties they attend
and restaurants they visit with the
opposite gender. When the subject
of marriage does come, they try
anything in the book to dissuade their
parents and it works.
In previous years what is even
more frightening is that in London
Brixton area, the amount of space
that Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada
from the media had contributed
to the radicalisation amongst the
muslim youth especially in prisons.
There needs to be a frank open
discussion with the muslim youth on:
The Muslim Youth Helpline
support the muslim youth on these
contemporary matters but inevitably
every community has to provide
accessible personalised services to
meet the needs of the muslim youth.
It calls for our madressah’s to alter
their role of they are going to curb
the current trends.

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